BRUSSELS, Nov 13: The 15-nation eurozone’s plunge into recession is expected to be made official on Friday, with a string of economic indicators pointing downwards and European governments struggling for a unified response.

Germany took the plunge on Thursday, falling into recession for the first time in five years as the global financial crisis hammered Europe’s biggest economy, according to official figures.

The world’s third largest economy shrank 0.5 per cent in the third quarter, following a contraction of 0.4 per cent in the second quarter, thereby fulfilling the criteria for the ‘R’ word -- two consecutive quarterly contractions.

“For Germany, and the other eurozone economies, this recession will likely be the worst since 1992/93,” warned Holger Schmieding, economist at Bank of America.—AFP